The Buffalo Bills, despite being in the midst of a thirteen year playoff drought, continue to prove one thing on a consistent basis season after season: they are one of the most unpredictable teams in the NFL.

Last season it appeared as if the Bills had finally made the jump to playoff contention after an impressive 5-2 start with victories against the eventual AFC champion New England Patriots and the star-studded Philadelphia Eagles. Talk of starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick earning every bit of his recent contract extension and running back Fred Jackson becoming one of the best in the league seemed a bit premature, but warranted after the hot start. However, in typical Buffalo Bills fashion, their playoff hopes steadily evaporated after losing eight of their next nine games and finishing a lowly 6-10, good for a last place tie in the AFC East.

However, the Bills are bringing a new look defense to compliment the impressive offensive trio of Fitzpatrick, Jackson, and fiery wide receiver Stevie Johnson. Buffalo signed the former number one overall pick Mario Williams and fellow pass rusher Mark Anderson to force some much needed pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Rookies Stephen Gilmore at cornerback and left tackle Cordy Glenn are expected to come in and make an immediate impact on the starting lineup, something the Bills have lacked in their most recent drafts.

To go along with their proven talent, Buffalo has a couple of explosive weapons waiting to make their first real impact for the squad. Running back C.J. Spiller was a highly touted running back out of Clemson just a few years ago, but has yet to make the offensive impact that draft experts expected him to make. Along with wildcat weapon Brad Smith, these two athletes are expected to bring a faster pace to the Bills offense to go along with the new and improved pass rush on the defensive side of the ball.

A real subject of note from the Bills’ camp is the potential backup quarterback situation. The competition’s coverage is severely lacking compared to their downstate division rival’s backup quarterback situation (Tim Tebow, ever heard of him?), but a familiar face may be waiting in the wings behind Ryan Fitzpatrick. Former two time pro-bowler Vince Young has all but solidified his role as backup quarterback with an impressive pre-season, beating out perennial backup Tyler Thigpen. With shaky offense a staple in Buffalo, the backup quarterback position always seems to be vital for this team.

Despite playing in a division with the AFC’s juggernauts in New England, the Bills have one of the easier schedules in the NFL. With the key acquisitions in free agency and the draft added to the in-house talent, this is Buffalo’s most formidable team in over a decade. The time is now for the Buffalo Bills to move into the upper echelon of the NFL and end their playoff drought.

Image Courtesy of  Nicholas Piccillo / Shutterstock.com

The article AFC East Team Preview: Buffalo Bills appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

So, in case you have not heard, Tim Tebow is the back-up quarterback of the New York Jets now, and as you could imagine, it has been perceived as kind of a big deal. Unfortunately for the Jets, however, acquiring a player of Tebow’s stature has not put the spotlight on them for the most positive reasons thus far.

Since bringing in the former Broncos starter, whose miraculous and oftentimes Hollywood-like runs last season hit their ultimate peak with a 29-23 overtime victory against the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers in a Wild Card playoff match-up, the Jets front office and coaching staff have been on the receiving end of extremely harsh, relentless, national media criticism.

While the Jets insist that Tebow’s acquisition was not a PR move and that he will only be used in Wildcat packages and as a second-string option, that is not how most people around the country are viewing it. To put it lightly, it is safe to say that a good number of experts were not exactly fond of the idea of trading for one of the most polarizing quarterbacks in recent memory, not when his presence could ultimately create a starting quarterback controversy somewhere down the line between him and three-year Jets starter Mark Sanchez.

Hold on, people. We have had a little over a week to digest this move, so let’s all just take a deep breath, and look at it rationally. That is the least we could do. Barring an injury to Sanchez, Tim Tebow will not start for the New York Jets at any point next season, and there is no reason to worry about any drama arising. Plain and simple. After admittedly pursuing, and shortly thereafter failing, to obtain longtime former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, the Jets proceeded to give Sanchez a three-year, $58.5 million contract extension to remain their starter under center.

Under his new deal, Sanchez will be owed a total of $20.5 million in guarantees over the next two seasons – a price that the Jets would not be willing to pay just to cut him or have him on the bench in order to throw Tebow out there. Of course, they could use that money to buy Sanchez his own personal gold-plated, diamond-encrusted bench if they were to sit him, but that does not seem very likely or practical in today’s salary cap era.

Before Sanchez signed the extension, he was still tied to the final two years of his rookie contract, which included no guaranteed money, meaning that the new deal displayed the Jets’ faith in him. With the loss of wide receiver and Wildcat quarterback Brad Smith in free agency last season to the Buffalo Bills – an AFC East division rival – the Jets all but abandoned the Wildcat, which had proved to be successful for them since drafting Smith out of Missouri back in 2006.

As a gifted runner with below-average talent as a passer, Smith was a stereotypical college quarterback at Mizzu. It is well-known from Tebow’s playing days at Florida and Denver that he has a very similar skill set, but with more build in his frame and more experience throwing the ball at the NFL level.

New York needs someone like Tebow to get their Wildcat back on track, especially with Sanchez’s occasional passing droughts and new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano calling the plays. During his time as the Miami Dolphins head coach, Sparano’s Wildcat offense gave defenses a fit with running back Ronnie Brown taking direct snaps.

If you did not watch the games or highlights last year, Tebow needed things to go perfectly to win ball games. He only completed 46.5 percent of his passes in 2011 and was clearly the beneficiary of the league’s fifth best rushing offense and a defense that completely dominated teams, at times, during his 7-1 run at starter.

Sanchez may have had a completion percentage of just 56.7 a year ago, but he does not have the prolonged, troublesome throwing motion of Tebow and is expected to improve now that former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and his primarily horizontal passing attack have left for St. Louis.

Don’t worry about Tim Tebow or Mark Sanchez, it is a non-issue, period.

The article Does Trading for Tim Tebow Present an Issue for Mark Sanchez? appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.